Legendary DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer passes away

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – DePaul University announced that former men’s
basketball coach Ray Meyer died on Friday. He was 92.

The man known simply as “coach” compiled a 724-354 record in 42 seasons with
the Blue Demons. Meyer led the Blue Demons to the NCAA Tournament 13 times and
twice to the Final Four. In 1945, Meyer led DePaul to the NIT title when it
was considered the national championship. The 1945 team featured future Hall
of Famer George Mikan,

Meyer collected coach-of-the-year honors four times, and was inducted into the
Naismith Hall of Fame in 1979. His 724 career wins rank him 16th on the NCAA
Division I all-time list. Over a four-year span from 1980-84, he was named the
Kodak Man of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
(NABC), he was awarded the John Bunn Award from the Naismith Hall of Fame for
contributions to the game of basketball, and he was bestowed with the NIT-
NACDA award.

“Ray Meyer is an iconic figure in the history of basketball in America and the
life of DePaul University,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.,
DePaul’s president. “He represented all that is good about college athletics –
a pure love for the game, an unwavering commitment to fair competition and,
most importantly, a genuine respect for his student athletes. Not only was Ray
a national champion, he was a hero to his colleagues, players and thousands of
children who attended basketball camps hosted by the man they knew simply as
‘Coach.'”

Meyer posted 37 winning seasons and had 12 different 20-win seasons. In his
last seven years at DePaul (1977-84), he posted an impressive record of 180-30
(.857). Six of those teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament and his 1983 team
played in the NIT finals.

“Meyer made DePaul University a household name,” Holtschneider said. “His
stellar reputation, earned both on and off the court, captured the admiration
of people from all walks of life. He was as good a friend to politicians,
business leaders and sports figures as he was to local charities on whose
behalf he spent countless hours signing autographs and making wildly popular
personal appearances.”

He was a fixture at DePaul home games over the past four seasons, and spent
time in the locker room with the players and coaches.